Columns

During the recent government shutdown many numbers were thrown around. But there is one number that stands out and it has nothing to do with the debate over the federal budget.
More than one a day. That is how many members of our active-duty military, National Guard and Reserve forces have committed suicide over the last year. Simply put, we are losing more servicemembers by their own hands than we are by the enemy in Afghanistan.

The argument between Republicans these days – no matter how last week’s elections turned out – has been described this way: it’s a battle between the mathematicians and the priests.
The mathematicians in this theory would be the small tent of GOP moderates, especially the ones who understand population demographics.

I am very grateful for the many Fifth District Virginians who contacted our offices over the course of the last several weeks as Washington once again proved that it is completely out of touch with the American people.

Since the October 1st roll-out of HealthCare.Gov, there has been no shortage of technical issues. The website, where under the President’s health care law Americans without insurance or required by the law to find new insurance can enroll in the new federally-run insurance exchanges, has been plagued by countless glitches. Needless to say, this has made for anything but a smooth experience for those attempting to access the site.

I’m going to make a bold prediction about next week’s election: While losing decisively across the state, Ken Cuccinelli will carry Bedford, Amherst, and Campbell counties by wide margins.
Okay, you can stop chuckling. It’s not very “bold” to predict that “Cooch” will lose, and it’s anything but bold to say he’ll take the majority of votes in the rural communities of Central Virginia.

A missed opportunity – that is what we witnessed this week in Washington. The funding package passed by the United States Senate and the House of Representatives and signed into law by the President does nothing to address the fundamental fiscal challenges facing our nation. The proposal raises the debt limit until February and merely delays discussion on debt and spending for a short time. During that time, the government will borrow roughly $200 billion dollars more.

It is not every century that a small town (post-reversion) is afforded the luxury of receiving an educational windfall ($6 million per year for 15 years) from the state for educational needs and improvements. Thus, it is imperative that Bedford optimize this bit of good fortune and get it right.
Most would probably agree that improving Bedford’s high school and middle school are our greatest large scale educational priorities.

I hope Bob Goodlatte, Robert Hurt and Morgan Griffith have all attached their “Don’t Tread on Me” bumper stickers to their vehicles, because it’s utterly clear now that they are owned by the “tea party” fanatics who shut down the government.
It’s appropriate that those bumper stickers, featuring the little chopped-up snake on them, are colored yellow. That is the well-known shade of cowardice.